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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203155">Shouldering the Burden</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LocalMadHatter/pseuds/LocalMadHatter'>LocalMadHatter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Warriors is a dumb dumb, i think, it's BONDING TIME</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:13:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203155</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LocalMadHatter/pseuds/LocalMadHatter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay, the day went to shit leaving half the group injured and one flamboyant captain blaming himself for everything. But who knew Four could see right through his bullshit?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shouldering the Burden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dusk settled, allowing night to take over with stars lighting up the night sky and the full moon casting a dim glow. Sitting alone on a stump Warriors quietly cursed as he tore a sheet of paper out from his journal and tossed it over his shoulder. Yes, he had to clean it up later so no one saw it but he was lost in thought.</p>
<p> The fight was a disaster earlier due to his command and a price was paid. If only he didn't second guess himself and went with what he first thought of, or maybe that would've ended in a worse outcome. </p>
<p>Recklessly he scribbled notes and observations, theories on possible attack combinations and ways to maximize patrols feedback. Fuck, He did the patrol and saw nothing! Maybe they came through a portal, in that case he would need a magic user in the patrol which was either Legend, Time, or Hyrule and he needs to stay at camp. He's the healer and Time is their leader-he tore out another sheet of paper and threw it behind him again, spouting curses under his breath. </p>
<p>The sheet didn't bounce off the ground this time, instead it bounced off of Four's face. A sudden foreign entity scratching against your nose is a pretty easy wake up call. Groaning in protest, Four sat up and rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes, or at least tried to. With a couple blinks he assessed the area and saw Warriors muttering under his breath with only erratic scribbles to accompany him. That's concerning.</p>
<p>Quietly, Four crawled out of his bed roll and stood before approaching Warriors. Gently, he tapped Warriors shoulder, making the man jump in surprise. "Wh-Four? What are you doing up? You aren't on the third shift."</p>
<p>"Same could be said to you, it's second right now and I recall it was supposed to be Wind awake, not you." Half-halfheartedly he covered his yawn with a hand and sat beside Warriors. "Besides, I got a rude awakening from paper being thrown at my face." Sheepishly, Warriors closed his notebook and ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry, I'm...just trying to think. You can go back to sleep. That black eye is not a good look on you." he teased forcing out a small chuckle. It wasn't enough to fool Four or even himself. Sighing, he slumped forward in defeat. </p>
<p>Patting Warriors on the back, Four offered a sleepy smile, "Nice try big guy but you're not getting past me that easily." Lowering his hand he scorched forward so he could hold eye contact. "What's eating at you?"</p>
<p>"Nothing!" Warriors sat up straight and turned his head, refusing to meet Four's gaze. "It's nothing, go back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you." His voice faded out as he finished his sentence. Rolling his eyes, Four stood again and got in Warriors face, forcing him to meet his eyes, "You can tell me or I will look through the crumbled sheets of paper on the ground. Either way, you're not hiding shit. So spill." </p>
<p>Growling for a moment, Warriors tried to make Four back off but once more it was in vain. "Fine, get out of my face first," he didn't bother waiting for Four to comply and just shoved the small hero away. Ugh, here goes nothing, "I'm going over the mistakes I made today." Leaning over, he picked up his journal and thumbed through it. "We got a lot of injuries and I'm trying to figure out better ways to avoid it. If I had gone with my gut instinct maybe Sky wouldn't be in crutches right now or Legend wouldn't have a coma." His voice was quiet and guilt ridden.</p>
<p>For a moment there was no response from Four, which made Warriors feel shittier. Opening his mouth he wanted to defend himself but couldn't make a sound before Four spoke. "For how intelligent you are you overlook some important details." At the comment, Warriors met Four's eyes with a look of desperation, "You know what I did wrong? Tell me! I can't make that mistake again." He pleaded as his mind ran a mile a minute with what it could be.</p>
<p> Yawning once more, Four didn't bother to cover his mouth this time, opting to rub at an eye. "You aren't alone. You can rely on others, you can rely on us. We're all fighting the same battles so don't go shouldering our mistakes because you think it's your problem and yours alone." Standing up, he patted the dirt off his rump and stretched his arms up high. "Teamwork is the key to most fights. So is cooperation when making decisions." He offered a hand to help Warriors up. "We're not going to bite, so don't be scared to rely on us." Hesitantly, Warriors took his hand and was pulled up from the stump. "I'm not scared." He defended with a huff. </p>
<p>Chuckling, Four patted his back, "Sure you aren't a tough guy, come on. Let's wake up Wind and get some rest." Yawning once more Four headed over to where the small sailor lay snoozing softly.</p>
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